Movie Review: Ex Machina

Alex Garland (writer, Sunshine) blurs the line between humans and machines in his directorial debut, Ex Machina.


Caleb (Domhnall Gleeson, About Time) is a programmer working at Bluebook, the world's leading search engine.  Through an office lottery, he wins the chance to go meet and stay with the CEO of the company, Nathan (Oscar Isaac, Inside Llewyn Davis), for a week in his secluded mountain home.  While there he learns that Nathan has other plans than just a meet and greet.  After having Caleb sign a very extensive NDA, he tells him the real reason he brought someone in.  He has created the world's first AI robot, named Ava (Alicia Vikander, Seventh Son) and needed someone to perform a Turing test on it.  In a typical Turing test, Caleb would not be aware if responses were coming from the computer or a human.  The twist is, that Nathan has decided to have Caleb talk directly to the android.  If he still forms a bond with her as if she were human, then that would be a true success.


AI is, by far, not a new concept in the world of film.  Steven Spielberg himself made a movie with that very name, A.I. Artificial Intelligence.  Somehow Ex Machina still stands out above the crowd.  It's a simple story, but it is written so well (by the director himself) that it keeps you guessing to the very end.  The story is smart and is constantly throwing twists in without feeling forced or out of control.  The characters are so well written that it is hard knowing who is testing who.


Carrying the weight of this script is our three leads.  After the opening scenes there are only four actors for the majority of the rest of the film and the three leads comfortably carry this film.  Nathan is a billionaire recluse and Isaac plays him very unpredictably.  You can feel how the loneliness and isolation may be getting to him.  He is friendly and inviting to Caleb, but almost in an aggressive way.  He drinks heavily every night and seems to be right on the edge of becoming a complete sociopath at any moment.  You don't know the entire time if he's going to stay on that thin line or fall off the edge.  He does have a bizarre dance scene that may go down as one of the best movie scenes of 2015.  It's over the top, but is worked in so smoothly that it doesn't seem out of place and actually brings a much needed laugh to the tension in the air.  Domhnall also plays Caleb quite perfectly.  He is a programmer with a very analytical mind.  At first this seems like a detriment because he questions everything and can't relax and get comfortable with his situation.  Later, when things start to get strange, he shows he is quite clever, but you wonder if he is clever enough.  The final piece of the puzzle is Vikander playing Ava.  She plays her with just the right balance.  Is she self-aware?  Is she being programmed and manipulated by Nathan?  The complexity of each character keeps you guessing until the very end.


Most of this film is set in a single, claustrophobic location.  Within this house I feel there are certain set pieces that are very deliberate and symbolic, but I'll have to leave it at that to not provide any semblance of a spoiler.  This enclosed space is broken up occasionally when Nathan and Caleb step outside of the house to give the characters and the audience a breath of fresh air with amazing cinematography of a stunning landscape in the mountains.  The movie is a slow burn because, at the core, as stated above, it is essentially a man performing a Turing test.  However the mounting tension keeps it from feeling slow.  That tension is amplified by a wonderful score.  There are just a couple of times where the score gets a little too loud and obvious.


Alex Garland has written and directed something so well-crafted that it takes a simple concept that has been used a million times before (what makes us human?) and makes it feel completely fresh and new.  I look forward to not only his next project, but also a re-watch of this film.  Domhnall and Oscar have also been having a good run of films right now, and this just solidifies that they deserve it.  They will both be seen together again in The Force Awakens.  Could they potentially be in two of my favorite movies of the year?  We'll find out in December.  Until then, do yourself a favor and check out Ex Machina.


Rating: *********- (9 out of 10) [Full price!]


Memorable Quote:
Nathan: There you go again, Mr. Quotable.